Star Citizen Introducing a $48,000 Ship Bundle, but Only for Players Who Have Already Spent $10,000::Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games is releasing a ship bundle for its controversial space simulator that costs an eye-watering $48,000.

  • Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net
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    9 months ago

    According to a friend of mine that plays, the whales were asking for this feature so they didn’t have to go through the purchase process for each one

    • ryannathans@aussie.zone
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      9 months ago

      Why don’t you get it? Huge fun space game, has more content now than most other games and they’ve only just started working on it properly after finishing squadron 42

      • CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work
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        8 months ago

        Based on my friend’s description, it’s a perpetual work in progress. It seems like the appeal to him is the idea what it might eventually become, and the anticipation of updates, as opposed to what it currently is. Not for me.

  • squirrel@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    9 months ago

    Because there are lots of people in this thread who paint whales as “rich schmucks” who can afford to spend $48k without thinking twic. This is a myth that lots of the gaming industry itself loves to perpetuate, because it absolves them of taking responsibility for ruining lives.

    Research has shown repeatedly that whales are much more likely to be people with mental health problems and/or gambling addicts. That Star Citizen isn’t a freemium game with loot boxes makes it marginally better than - let’s say - Genshin Impact, but offers like the bundle in the article is still predatory.

    • littleblue✨@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      And yet? Nothing will be done. This is a target market that is more than acceptable to disdain, abuse, and otherwise fuck over.

      It might be “cool” to be a nerd now, my fellows, but only on the surface. Don’t get suckered into believing they accept you. They’re just commodifying our interests for their gains. They are not us and they don’t want to be. They just want us to like them enough to pay them more than we otherwise would.

      Fuck the poseurs.

  • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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    9 months ago

    This isn’t real money is it? Please tell me it isn’t. I don’t play this game but that would just be fucking sad.

  • CheesyGordita@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I know it’s not the same, but you could just play elite dangerous which is an actual game, and you can get new ships through a crazy new innovative mechanic called “playing the game”

  • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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    9 months ago

    They don’t want to risk such a large chargeback or lawsuit over “accidental” purchase by a new user, so are only trying to sell to proven whales.

    • lad@programming.dev
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      9 months ago

      If this is a genuine question you have some epic story to treat yourself to about how the bestest game of all times was made promised

        • Allero@lemmy.today
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          9 months ago

          You’re up for a ride if you have a read.

          Game is 11 years in alpha development, still a buggy mess that requires a supercomputer to work smoothly, only recently got a second star system (dozens more are pinky promised, and hundreds promised since beginning of development), is constantly exploited in all ways possible, barely has any actual content…

          …which absolutely didn’t stop it from earning over half a billion dollars (yes, billion) by selling in-game ships for hundreds and sometimes thousands of very absolutely real dollars, as well as such monstrous packs.

          • Basil@lemmings.world
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            9 months ago

            It’s weird, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone actually playing this game. Hell, I don’t even know what gameplay looks like, and honestly I’m happy keeping it that way

            • Thirdborne@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              It’s an ethically shitty and exploitative funding model, but if you look at the gameplay, you’ll see the appeal of buying the $45 game package. Very few people stop at though. No matter how much you hear that spending more is unnecessary, they’ve built a system of incremental spending and incentives that draw people ever deeper.

              The insane thing is that the supposed final vision sounds incredibly tedious in a way that I doubt most people would ever actually play it. For the sake of immersion, you will have to physically move every item from spare sets of armour to bulk cargo for transport jobs. There is a light survival mechanic of hydration and nutrition, but personal hygiene is also planned. Upgrading ships will mean physically pulling components and replacing them, but the real gains will be in the subcomponents!

              Maybe that sounds fun as a vision statement, but I assure you, after losing that hand loaded, hand upgraded ship to bugs or exploits for the third time, the joy will all be gone.

              I suppose it’s lucky that none of their vision or promises ever come to pass. Anyway. You want my referral code?

  • Xavier@lemmy.ca
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    9 months ago

    I wonder if games that require such farfetched amounts of money should be included in the Luxury tax?

    A lot of those “whales” have cognitive difficulties and/or gambling addictions issues. Since many if these game developers/publishers have no qualm blindly milking and profiteering. It should be no surprise if some sort of tax is levied to help societies (à-la-tobacco or sugar tax) attenuate the ravages of gambling addictions.

    Moreover, Star Citizen has been released over 10 years ago while been continually updated.

    At what point is it just senseless greed that has taken over the game?

    • lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      It’s one thing to drop a few bucks here and there into a game you enjoy but when you start spending 10k on a fuckin game you have a serious issue. Even if you’re ultra wealthy, do you really have nothing else you could waste that money on? I think it’s time for a serious crackdown on predatory gaming.

    • CulturedLout@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      Luxury tax doesn’t apply to dealers/retailers. It would just get piled on the final user. Which would be fine for the “richer than god” types, but not so great for some poor bastard with an addiction who can’t help themselves.

    • n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      9 months ago

      It’s been a demo for over 10 years, not a game.

      Games have story, star citizen is a glorified tech demo as far as I am concerned.

      • FlorianSimon@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        Games don’t necessarily have stories… But your point still stands. This feels unfinished, empty and unpolished. Not remotely worth 50k

        • n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 months ago

          I boufh a ship beginning of 2014 just to test it out, worst $200 (supposed to get a usb ship, bunch of squadron 42 stuff)

          And most games have a point, the only point to star citizen is for YOU to spend money